Fausto Carmona, who dominated the Orioles in his last start, was optioned to Triple-A Buffalo on Tuesday as the Indians prepared for the return of starter Cliff Lee. Carmona yielded just one run on six hits in a career-high 8 1/3 innings in Sunday’s 6-1 win and has given up just three runs in his last 22 innings. Lee is expected to start Thursday.
*Billy Butler, the Royals’ first-round pick in 2004, was recalled from Triple-A Omaha and started in left field Tuesday, hitting seventh. One of the Royals’ top hitting prospects in years, Butler, 21, was batting .337. He joins rookies Alex Gordon (third base) and Tony Pena Jr. (shortstop) in the lineup.
*Moises Alou was in the Mets’ lineup Tuesday after an MRI exam on his injured right shoulder found no structural damage. He originally hurt his shoulder Saturday at Washington and irritated it again when he banged into the wall trying to catch a fly ball Monday. … Frank Martinez, 40, was banned from Mets home games for three years after pleading guilty to shining a high-powered flashlight at a pair of Braves players during an April 20 game. The Bronx man also must spend 15 days in jail as part of his sentence for interfering with a professional sporting event.
*The airplane crash that killed Yankees pitcher Cory Lidle last October was caused by inadequate planning, judgment and airmanship on the part of the pilot, the NTSB announced Tuesday, adding it has not been able to determine who was piloting the plane at the time of the accident.
